Microsoft Publisher is a desktop publishing application from Microsoft, differing from Microsoft Word in that the emphasis is placed on page layout and graphic design rather than text composition and proofreading. In October 2026, Microsoft Publisher will reach its end of life.[5]

Microsoft Publisher
Developer(s)Microsoft
Initial release1991; 33 years ago (1991)
Stable release(s)
Microsoft 365 (Windows)2312 (Build 17126.20132)[1] / January 9, 2024; 2 months ago (2024-01-09)
Microsoft 365 (Mac)16.80 (Build 23121017) / December 12, 2023; 3 months ago (2023-12-12)[2]
One-time purchase (Retail)2021 Version 2311 (Build 17029.20108)[3] / December 12, 2023; 3 months ago (2023-12-12)[4]
One-time purchase (LTSC)2021 Version 2108 (Build 14332.20615) / December 12, 2023; 3 months ago (2023-12-12)[3]
Operating systemMicrosoft Windows
TypeDesktop publishing software
LicenseTrialware
Websiteproducts.office.com/publisher Edit this on Wikidata

Overview edit

Publisher is included in higher-end editions of Microsoft Office, reflecting Microsoft's emphasis on the application as an easy-to-use and less expensive alternative to the "heavyweights" with a focus on the small-business market, where firms do not have dedicated design professionals available to make marketing materials and other documents.[6][7] However, it has a relatively small share of the desktop publishing market, which is dominated by Adobe InDesign and formerly by QuarkXPress.[6]

While most Microsoft Office apps adopted ribbons for their user interface starting with Microsoft Office 2007, Publisher retained its toolbars and did not adopt ribbons until Microsoft Office 2010.[8]

On February 15, 2024, Microsoft announced that Publisher will reach its end of life on October 13, 2026.[9][10] After this date, Publisher will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 plans, and existing on-premises installations will no longer be supported. This date will mark the end of Publisher as a standalone Microsoft program since its initial release in 1991.

Compatibility edit

LibreOffice has supported Publisher's proprietary file format (.pub) since February 2013.[11] Corel Draw X4 features read-only support.

Publisher supports numerous other file formats, including the Enhanced Metafile (EMF) format, which is supported on Windows platforms. The Microsoft Publisher trial version can be used to view .pub files beyond the trial period.[12][13]

Adobe PageMaker also saved files with a .pub extension, but the two file formats were unrelated and incompatible.

Release history edit

Name Version number Release date[14] Editions of Microsoft Office included in
Microsoft Publisher 1.0 Late 1991 (approx.)
Microsoft Publisher 2.0 Jul 12, 1993
Publisher for Windows 95 (beginning to transition to 32-bit) 3.0 Aug 24, 1995
Microsoft Publisher 97 4.0 Oct 21, 1996 Small Business Edition
Microsoft Publisher 98 (first fully 32-bit) 5.0 Mar 23, 1998 Small Business Edition 2.0
Microsoft Publisher 2000 6.0 Jun 7, 1999 Small Business Edition, Professional, Premium, Developer
Microsoft Publisher 2002 10.0[a] May 31, 2001 Professional OEM, Professional Special Edition
Microsoft Office Publisher 2003 11.0 Oct 21, 2003 Small Business, Professional, Professional Plus, Enterprise
Microsoft Office Publisher 2007 12.0 Jan 30, 2007 Small Business, Professional, Ultimate, Professional Plus, Enterprise
Microsoft Publisher 2010 14.0[b] Jun 15, 2010 Standard, Professional, Professional Plus
Microsoft Publisher 2013 15.0 Jan 29, 2013 Professional, Professional Plus, Standard (volume licensing), all Office 365 / Microsoft 365 Apps editions
Microsoft Publisher 2016 16.0 Sep 22, 2015
Microsoft Publisher 2019 Sep 24, 2018
Microsoft Publisher 2021 October 5, 2021 Microsoft 365 Apps for business and Business Standard editions[16]
  1. ^ Starting with Publisher 2002, the version number jumps to 10.0 to tally Microsoft Office versions.
  2. ^ Version 13 was skipped due to the superstition attached to the number 13.[15]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Release notes for Current Channel". Microsoft. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  2. ^ "Update history for Office for Mac". Microsoft Docs. December 29, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Update history for Office LTSC 2021 and Office 2021". December 29, 2023.
  4. ^ Warren, Tom. "Microsoft Office 2021 will launch on October 5th". The Verge. Retrieved October 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026 - Microsoft Support". support.microsoft.com. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Desktop Publishing Software 2007 Style". Computor edge. July 27, 2007. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  7. ^ "Office Publisher 07". PC World Australia. IDG. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012..
  8. ^ "User interface differences in Office 2010 vs earlier versions". TechNet. Microsoft. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
  9. ^ GitHub-Name. "Publisher LTSC 2021 - Microsoft Lifecycle". learn.microsoft.com. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  10. ^ "Microsoft Publisher will no longer be supported after October 2026". Message center - Microsoft admin center. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  11. ^ "LibreOffice 4.0: Release Notes – the Document Foundation Wiki". Archived from the original on May 18, 2017. Retrieved April 9, 2017.
  12. ^ "Where is the Publisher viewer?". Microsoft. Archived from the original on March 16, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  13. ^ "Where is the Publisher viewer?". Microsoft. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  14. ^ "Publisher Life-cycle". Microsoft. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  15. ^ Paul Thurrott (May 14, 2009). "Office 2010 FAQ". Archived from the original on April 19, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2009.
  16. ^ "See what's in Office 2021". Archived from the original on March 30, 2023.

External links edit